On the Chocolate Trail

Martine’s

We recently tagged chocolate field trips to our errands and other excursions.  One weekend stroll in the neighborhood took us to Martine’s (East 82nd), a very pricy outlet (not in the discount sense) of the house chocolates molded and sold at Bloomingdale’s from Belgian Callebaut.  The attendant treated us to an unusual cream filled hazelnut truffle and a cream filled coffee truffle, cream meaning literally liquid cream layered onto the very tasty filling flavor.  That was richly delicious though the prices may keep us from heading back there soon.  Barely out the door, instead of the intended ‘just a little taste’ of the chocolate covered citrus rind, we “disapparated” the entire bag.

Cocoa Bar

Getting ready for chocolate treats

In Brooklyn to scope out the duck weed, the swans, and the Oriental Pavillion in Prospect Park, we refreshed at the Park Slope location of the Cocoa Bar, replete with wines, beers, gelatos, hot chocolates, chocolate candies and baked goods.  While the goodies are outsourced, Cocoa Bar’s very delicious marzipan-chocolate-mousse tart along with a good enough mocha frappe certainly enhanced the day.

Marzipan Chocolate Tart

However, the mediocre flour-less chocolate cake disappointed, especially since my recipe spoils us.  We conversed with Solomon Schechter-educated, Brown graduate, swinologist Jeff Yoskowitz, trading swine info for chocolate documents.

Mondel

On the way to shul on the Upper West Side one Friday afternoon, we squeezed in a visit to Mondel Chocolates.  Its story almost matches the richness of the selection and the offerings at this small, worn Upper West side establishment of 66 years (2913 Broadway at 114th) crammed with ornamental candy boxes, and chocolate candies identified by hand scribbled cardboard tags.  The brusque attendants had a hard time telling me what type of chocolate they use or their specialties, though they apparently make the candy there. Founded by the Hungarian Carl Mondel during WW II the store has been in this location since 1943, a difficult time for chocolate making given that sugar was rationed and other necessary items were available only on the black market.

Mondel Family

Mondel ran it with his wife Elsie until 1977 when she died; their daughter Florence worked in the business from 1976.  Apparently Mondel created a special white chocolate and an array of flavorful chocolate candies for diabetics.  We liked the chocolate covered almonds but the chocolate covered citrus was jellied…yuck. For many years Katherine Hepburn had a standing order for candy/chocolate; a handwritten list still hangs on the wall:  Pecan turtles, molasses chips, butter crunch, dark orange peel, champagne truffles and dark almond bark.  Good choices!  Each month her driver brought her by to pick up her two pound assortment until she stopped coming herself in 1995.  Then her niece ordered for her and had it delivered to Hepburn in Connecticut.  When the store sent Hepburn a package of her favorites in honor of her 90th birthday someone responded with ty note:  “Dear Mondel Chocolates:  Thank you for the delicious chocolate-how very thoughtful–Ms. Hepburn was pleased.”

Payard

Each of these outings pleased us with fun, sensory, even historical exploration, so were sated but sad to read about the closing of Payard.  At the chocolate show in 2007 we had tasted samples of their delicious packaged and hechshered flour-less kosher for Passover chocolate cake.

Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake for Pesach

We lost out twice with Payard: Last spring we had wanted to buy that treat to bring to friends for Seder, but the chocolate cake was by then no longer distributed.  So maybe we should not have been surprised to find out last week that the NYC Payard location, ironically the closest of all these stores to us at Lexington and 73rd, closed before we could visit.

I had been saving Payard for a special occasion–an out of town guest, a celebratory high tea, a hot chocolate on a very freezing day, a gooey treat of some sort or another.

Lesson:

Never postpone a chocolate tasting until tomorrow, if you can do it today!

Sadly shuttered Payard